November 11, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode

This week marks 50 years since the SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank while crossing Lake Superior. The shipwreck, which killed all 29 men aboard, became the most well-known wreck to ever occur on the Great Lakes. William Brangham recently spoke with the author of a new book that explores both the tragedy and the enduring legend it inspired.

President Trump is threatening to sue the BBC for $1 billion, claiming a documentary misrepresented his role in the Jan. 6 attack. Trump’s legal team says the BBC edited video to look like he urged supporters to “fight like hell” immediately after directing them to march on the Capitol. The two lines came more than 50 minutes apart. Geoff Bennett discussed more with Brian Stelter of CNN.

President Trump doubled down on an idea to send $2,000 checks to millions of Americans. He has offered no specifics, but Trump suggested the government could send that money to low and middle-income Americans and still have enough tariff revenue left to make a dent in the national debt. Most experts say that math doesn’t add up. Amna Nawaz discussed more with Erica York of the Tax Foundation.

The Trump Administration has tried to reshape higher education by cutting off funding and issuing executive orders on a variety of issues, including diversity, trans rights and antisemitism. While some universities reached settlements, others are navigating a new school year in the federal government’s crosshairs. That includes UCLA, where Stephanie Sy reports for our series, Rethinking College.

Mark Wolf, a Reagan-appointed federal judge, is resigning after four decades on the bench, and he’s sounding the alarm. In an essay published by The Atlantic, he wrote, “The White House’s assault on the rule of law is so deeply disturbing to me that I feel compelled to speak out. Silence, for me, is now intolerable.” Wolf shared additional context and more of his concerns with Amna Nawaz.

In our news wrap Tuesday, Marion County, Kansas, will pay $3 million and formally apologize for a police raid on a newspaper in 2023, the Justice Department says it will investigate security at UC Berkeley after protests outside a Turning Point USA event led to several arrests and a judge adopted a new electoral map for Utah that will create a Democratic-leaning district.

The longest-ever government shutdown is on the verge of ending, but not for at least one more day. While a deal to reopen passed the Senate on Monday night, there are still plenty of questions about what comes next. Congressional correspondent Lisa Desjardins reports.